24 Hours in Charlotte
I’m back guys! Sorry I haven’t posted in the last week. I was traveling & on the road with the world’s worst internet access. Luckily, I stocked up on tons of ideas and pictures for posts! Whenever I go visit my boyfriend, I fly into the city we’re meeting at the night before. Not only because I want to see new cities, but just in case there is a flight delay. I don’t want to miss a flight and not get to him before he leaves for the next city. This time I flew into Charlotte, North Carolina. Just a few miles away from my destination: Carolina Rebellion in Concord.
I’ve never been to Charlotte, so I was excited to get the chance to see something new. My flight was delayed, so I didn’t end up getting in until about 11 PM, which was kind of a bummer. Luckily, I was able to adjust my schedule a little and spend some time exploring and checking out the hotel the next day.
I ended up staying at the Ritz Carlton Charlotte, which is in Uptown Charlotte, about 20 minutes away from Concord, North Carolina. One of my favorite things about the hotel was that it was super glam – definitely one of the nicer hotels I’ve ever stayed at, but it wasn’t pretentious. I’ve stayed at a lot of hotels over the years and one of my least favorite things is feeling like I’m not supposed to be there. The RC Charlotte was super mellow and everyone was super friendly.
After my long day of travel, I decided to stop by the bar after unloading my luggage. One thing I pay close attention to are bartenders. You can gauge a lot about a hotel, bar or restaurant by the people who work there and how they treat people. I met one of my favorite bartenders of all time at Kinship, the bar in the hotel lobby. First of all – he offered my free cotton candy bites. They make a Strawberry Martini that has little cotton candy balls – made form those little strawberry candies every grandma carries in her purse. Second – he spent about an hour telling me all about the city and giving me all of the latest gossip. He gave me some room service recommendations and sent me on my way with a free drink to brink back to my room. SCORE!
I ordered the most ammmmazing cheeseburger from room service and fell asleep like a brick. When I woke up the next morning, I was pleasantly surprised to realize there was a Nespresso machine. JACKPOT! You know how I feel about my Nespresso. I had some quick breakfast in bed and opted for a quick tour of the hotel before I jetted off to the music festival.
The highlight of the tour was checking out the hotel’s rooftop garden and resident honeybees. On top of the hotel are two fully-contained beehives with 100,000 seasonal honey bees. Their hive doubles as a honey tap – think of a beer tap that spouts out honey. It was pretty cool. They assured me that no one ever gets stung – oddly enough one of the bees got stuck in my hair and ended up jamming it’s little stinger into my arm. The first bee sting I’ve had in years. I guess that means I’m lucky? On the upside – the hotel manager let me try some ice cream at their dessert shop, Bar Cocoa.
If you’re in town for a day (or even a few days), I definitely recommend checking out their bar The Punch Room & grabbing a treat from Bar Cocoa. A few other ideas if you’re in town:
Carowinds Amusement Park: check out the local theme park, home to 13 thrill seeking roller coasters, including Fury 325, the tallest and fastest Giga Coaster in the world!
U.S. National Whitewater Center: There are a ton of fun activities, from whitewater rafting to a zip line canopy tour!
Muddy Rivers Distillery: Take their tour and learn how they create their rum! Maybe even have a few samples!
The 7th Street Public Market: Just a few blocks away from the hotel, you can grab some snacks, desserts & souvenirs!
Discovery Place: If you’re like me and love checking out interactive science museums, this is the place to be! You can also head over and check out the Charlotte Nature Museum while you’re there!
If you’re traveling to a new city, I always recommend getting a game plan together before you go. Map everything out on your phone & bookmark links to locations. You can also use Yelp & Instagram to find cool new places! Just save to pages you find for easy access when you’re in town!
